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Steel City #1
Blood Guilt
Is it ever truly possible to atone for killing someone? How far would you be willing to go to try?
After the death of his son in a freak accident, Detective Harlan Miller's life is spiraling out of control. He's drinking too much. His marriage and career are on the rocks. But things are about to get even worse. A booze-soaked night out and a single wild punch leave a man dead and Harlan facing a manslaughter charge.
Fast-forward four years. Harlan's prison term is up, but life on the outside holds little promise. Divorced, alone, consumed with guilt, he thinks of nothing beyond atoning for the death he caused. But how do you make up for depriving a wife of her husband and two young boys of their father? Then something happens, something terrible, yet something that holds out a twisted kind of hope for Harlan - the dead man's youngest son is abducted.
From that moment Harlan's life has only one purpose - finding the boy. So begins a frantic race against time that leads him to a place darker than anything he experienced as a policeman and a stark moral choice that compels him to question the law he once enforced.
After the death of his son in a freak accident, Detective Harlan Miller's life is spiraling out of control. He's drinking too much. His marriage and career are on the rocks. But things are about to get even worse. A booze-soaked night out and a single wild punch leave a man dead and Harlan facing a manslaughter charge.
Fast-forward four years. Harlan's prison term is up, but life on the outside holds little promise. Divorced, alone, consumed with guilt, he thinks of nothing beyond atoning for the death he caused. But how do you make up for depriving a wife of her husband and two young boys of their father? Then something happens, something terrible, yet something that holds out a twisted kind of hope for Harlan - the dead man's youngest son is abducted.
From that moment Harlan's life has only one purpose - finding the boy. So begins a frantic race against time that leads him to a place darker than anything he experienced as a policeman and a stark moral choice that compels him to question the law he once enforced.
312 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2011
708 people are currently reading
808 people want to read
About the author
Ben Cheetham
42 books256 followersBen Cheetham is an award-winning writer and Pushcart Prize nominee. His writing spans the genres, from horror and sci-fi to literary fiction, but he has a passion for dark, gritty crime fiction. His short stories have been published in Swill Magazine, The Fiction Desk, Deadcore (Comet Press), The London Magazine, The Willisden Herald New Short Stories 3, The Grist Anthology of New Writing, Dream Catcher, Staple, Fast Forward: A Collection of Flash Fiction, Voice From The Planet (Harvard Square Editions), The Momaya Annual Review, Transmission, The Chaffey Review, and numerous other magazines.
Ben lives in Sheffield, UK, where - when he's not chasing around after his two-year old son - he spends most of his time locked away in his study racking his brain for the next paragraph, the next sentence, the next word.
Ben lives in Sheffield, UK, where - when he's not chasing around after his two-year old son - he spends most of his time locked away in his study racking his brain for the next paragraph, the next sentence, the next word.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 125 reviews
February 25, 2016
Good premise, but the whole thing was overwrought and obvious.
December 27, 2013
Sheffield Finally Got Interesting
Blood Guilt by Ben Cheetham the debut novel from Sheffield is a gritty, sometimes dark and brooding crime thriller. This book in a way reminded me of the American use of an anti-hero who wants to put right the things he has done wrong and that is what marks this out as a different sort of crime novel. Our anti-hero of this novel is the former Detective Inspector Harlan Miller who also happens to be now an ex-con with no future and more baggage than one person can handle. There is also the excellent use of the “what if” which we all do in our mind, but this “what if” hangs like Damocles Sword over Harlan Miller’s head.
All Harlan Miller wants to do when he is released on licence from prison is someway say sorry to Susan Reed for what he did to her and her family and try and put things right. As someone that is convicted of manslaughter killing her husband ways heavily on Harlan and he cannot move on. He knows he cannot approach her he cannot have any real contact with the family of the Rob Reed, but he does try and fails.
He is give the opportunity for some form of redemption when Ethan Reed goes missing and the police seem to have no leads and no fresh idea, when Susan Reed knocks on Harlan’s door and asks him to investigate a local sex offender who is a known child abuser. When another child disappears in Manchester it looks like the work of the same person and Harlan goes in to full investigation mode. He is able to use techniques the police cannot and he does this to the best of his ability. Through his investigation he opens up a whole new dark world that people would fear if they ever found out.
At the same time of uncovering this unspeakable world with characters nobody would want as a neighbour he gets stabbed, knocked out and shot at. Somehow he manages to survive whether he can take all the twists and turns in the investigation is, another matter. Does the thriller end in a successful resolution? Well you will have to read the book and find out!
Cheetham has written a wonderful crime thriller that uses the minimum amount of descriptive text that gives maximum punch. There are no wasted words or trying to draw the story out to make it last too long. This is blast of how to write a crime thriller while being the clichéd page turner keeping the reader wanting to know how it ends and want to read the next page as there may just be a clue there as to who took Ethan Reed. I cannot recommend Blood Guilt highly enough this is a fantastic crime thriller.
Blood Guilt by Ben Cheetham the debut novel from Sheffield is a gritty, sometimes dark and brooding crime thriller. This book in a way reminded me of the American use of an anti-hero who wants to put right the things he has done wrong and that is what marks this out as a different sort of crime novel. Our anti-hero of this novel is the former Detective Inspector Harlan Miller who also happens to be now an ex-con with no future and more baggage than one person can handle. There is also the excellent use of the “what if” which we all do in our mind, but this “what if” hangs like Damocles Sword over Harlan Miller’s head.
All Harlan Miller wants to do when he is released on licence from prison is someway say sorry to Susan Reed for what he did to her and her family and try and put things right. As someone that is convicted of manslaughter killing her husband ways heavily on Harlan and he cannot move on. He knows he cannot approach her he cannot have any real contact with the family of the Rob Reed, but he does try and fails.
He is give the opportunity for some form of redemption when Ethan Reed goes missing and the police seem to have no leads and no fresh idea, when Susan Reed knocks on Harlan’s door and asks him to investigate a local sex offender who is a known child abuser. When another child disappears in Manchester it looks like the work of the same person and Harlan goes in to full investigation mode. He is able to use techniques the police cannot and he does this to the best of his ability. Through his investigation he opens up a whole new dark world that people would fear if they ever found out.
At the same time of uncovering this unspeakable world with characters nobody would want as a neighbour he gets stabbed, knocked out and shot at. Somehow he manages to survive whether he can take all the twists and turns in the investigation is, another matter. Does the thriller end in a successful resolution? Well you will have to read the book and find out!
Cheetham has written a wonderful crime thriller that uses the minimum amount of descriptive text that gives maximum punch. There are no wasted words or trying to draw the story out to make it last too long. This is blast of how to write a crime thriller while being the clichéd page turner keeping the reader wanting to know how it ends and want to read the next page as there may just be a clue there as to who took Ethan Reed. I cannot recommend Blood Guilt highly enough this is a fantastic crime thriller.
January 6, 2014
I had never heard about the author Ben Cheetham until I was sent a link to this book on amazon by a friend of mine. On reading the book's short description I was immediately intrigued and wanted to read it.
Four years ago the life of D.I. Harlan Miller changed for ever. He involuntarily caused the death of father of two Robert Reed and was sent to jail on manslaughter charges.
Now, four years later Harlan is released from prison. He is a broken man, divorced, without any scope in life and suffocated by a sense of guilt for what he's done. He tries to make amends by sending money to the wife of the man he killed, Susan, to help her raise her two sons, but she threatens him to go to the police if he approaches her family again.
A few days later, Susan's younger son, Ethan, is abducted at gunpoint from his bedroom during the night. Harlan is immediately held the primary suspect, but he has an alibi. After many days of investigation and TV pleas, the police are still without any lead and Susan, feeling helpless is desperately forced to do the unthinkable...she goes to seek the help of the man she hates most in the world, Harlan Miller.
Driven by his ever constant sense of guilt and seeing it as a chance to make amends with Susan, Harlan agrees to help, but will he make it on time before something terrible happens to Ethan? Is he prepared to do whatever it takes to save Ethan? If he saves the boy, will Susan finally forgive him for killing her husband? Will he finally come to terms with his guilt and be able to live a 'normal' life?
The author succeeds in literally personifying guilt. Guilt is almost tangible and is a constant feeling throughout the book, it's always there. You can feel Harlan’s guilt through the narration and you can’t not feel empathy for him.
Although I would have preferred shorter chapters, this fast-paced novel kept me hooked from start to finish as it has some very interesting twists and strong, realistic dialogue. In the end I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it to anyone.
Four years ago the life of D.I. Harlan Miller changed for ever. He involuntarily caused the death of father of two Robert Reed and was sent to jail on manslaughter charges.
Now, four years later Harlan is released from prison. He is a broken man, divorced, without any scope in life and suffocated by a sense of guilt for what he's done. He tries to make amends by sending money to the wife of the man he killed, Susan, to help her raise her two sons, but she threatens him to go to the police if he approaches her family again.
A few days later, Susan's younger son, Ethan, is abducted at gunpoint from his bedroom during the night. Harlan is immediately held the primary suspect, but he has an alibi. After many days of investigation and TV pleas, the police are still without any lead and Susan, feeling helpless is desperately forced to do the unthinkable...she goes to seek the help of the man she hates most in the world, Harlan Miller.
Driven by his ever constant sense of guilt and seeing it as a chance to make amends with Susan, Harlan agrees to help, but will he make it on time before something terrible happens to Ethan? Is he prepared to do whatever it takes to save Ethan? If he saves the boy, will Susan finally forgive him for killing her husband? Will he finally come to terms with his guilt and be able to live a 'normal' life?
The author succeeds in literally personifying guilt. Guilt is almost tangible and is a constant feeling throughout the book, it's always there. You can feel Harlan’s guilt through the narration and you can’t not feel empathy for him.
Although I would have preferred shorter chapters, this fast-paced novel kept me hooked from start to finish as it has some very interesting twists and strong, realistic dialogue. In the end I really enjoyed it and I highly recommend it to anyone.
March 16, 2012
This was a great tale. It's about a cop whose life starts going very wrong after the sudden death of his little boy. He splits with his wife and takes to drinking and in a bar fight one night he punches a guy and the guy dies so he's convicted of manslaughter. The man he killed had 2 little boys.
After he's released one of the boys is kidnapped and the wife comes to him to ask his help in finding him. He's always felt horribly guilty leaving 2 kids without a father so he agrees to assist her. It was very fast-paced and well done and I greatly enjoyed how it all came together.
Right near the end were a couple of spelling mistakes and that was it which makes a change these days !! I'll be looking for more by him.
After he's released one of the boys is kidnapped and the wife comes to him to ask his help in finding him. He's always felt horribly guilty leaving 2 kids without a father so he agrees to assist her. It was very fast-paced and well done and I greatly enjoyed how it all came together.
Right near the end were a couple of spelling mistakes and that was it which makes a change these days !! I'll be looking for more by him.
December 18, 2011
Why do these ex-cops trying to solve horrible crimes always have to have a troubled past, usually involving the death of their child? This was distinctly average crime thriller with an unlikeable hero and some kidnapped children. A crime book like a paint by numbers picture, I'm afraid.
December 27, 2019
Audio version of this book 📚- Good storyline but absolutely dreadful narration!! Only stuck with it because I was enjoying the plot!!!
March 16, 2023
There were few surprises in the book, I had worked out pretty much the whole story.
It was an enjoyable read though.
It was an enjoyable read though.
June 19, 2012
This book is one that has been on my ‘to read’ list for a while and for some reason kept getting pushed to the back of the pile. Thankfully, I got myself organised and dug out all the stuff I have been meaning to read and I am very glad that I did. I read so many crime, thriller and mystery books that it’s hard to see where one ends and another begins. Typically, I have my favourite authors that never seem to fail, and the writers that have been producing books for years that never seem to fail. However, there is nothing nicer than coming across a new author who you have never heard of that actually produces the goods. Thankfully, Ben Cheetham is one of them.
We meet Harlan who is having a very hard time with his life. He is a D.I whose life seems to be spiralling following the death of his son in an accident. His marriage is in danger of finishing and on a lonely night out drinking the worst thing happens. Harlan gets into a fight and a single wild punch leaves a man dead. I think the shocking thing is that from the outset you feel sorry for Harlan, and when he ends up killing a man there is a certain element of fear, because it can all to easily happen.
The story moves forward four years and follows Harlan upon his release from prison. His life is a mess and he is now divorced and spending his days alone and living with the guilt of killing a man and depriving two children of their father and a woman of her husband. One event soon changes everything and pretty soon Harlan’s life holds meaning. He has a challenge to meet and will do everything in his power to get the results he wants.
I admit, I read the first half of this book in one sitting. I just wasn’t prepared for a book as good and as fast paced as this one. The pace picks up at the halfway point and there are enough twists in the story to keep you hooked. There is a certain element of predictability about it, but I find that very few books out there manage to not have it!
This may well have been my first Ben Cheetham but I can assure you it won’t be my last. I am really looking forward to reading more stuff by this author and think this was a brilliant first book for me!
We meet Harlan who is having a very hard time with his life. He is a D.I whose life seems to be spiralling following the death of his son in an accident. His marriage is in danger of finishing and on a lonely night out drinking the worst thing happens. Harlan gets into a fight and a single wild punch leaves a man dead. I think the shocking thing is that from the outset you feel sorry for Harlan, and when he ends up killing a man there is a certain element of fear, because it can all to easily happen.
The story moves forward four years and follows Harlan upon his release from prison. His life is a mess and he is now divorced and spending his days alone and living with the guilt of killing a man and depriving two children of their father and a woman of her husband. One event soon changes everything and pretty soon Harlan’s life holds meaning. He has a challenge to meet and will do everything in his power to get the results he wants.
I admit, I read the first half of this book in one sitting. I just wasn’t prepared for a book as good and as fast paced as this one. The pace picks up at the halfway point and there are enough twists in the story to keep you hooked. There is a certain element of predictability about it, but I find that very few books out there manage to not have it!
This may well have been my first Ben Cheetham but I can assure you it won’t be my last. I am really looking forward to reading more stuff by this author and think this was a brilliant first book for me!
February 12, 2012
This might change, I'm close to the end of this book. The story is intriguing and does keep you reading, but the writing style is often over-blown and a little annoying. The main character makes me want to find somebody to shake, and when he gets in to lines and lines of his untouchable guilt I find myself skipping to the next page.
September 7, 2016
A roller-coaster of a read ...though it 'loses' its way slightly in the middle I still thought it deserved a 4 star rating
Worth a read for sure
Worth a read for sure
February 20, 2012
Interesting novel - a little unpolished, very bleak, but keeps you turning the pages, wanting to know what happened!
May 3, 2016
Such a quick read and I'm ordering the next two as I write. It doesn't have the "who done it" and shocking twist that I love but I grew very attached to the characters.
December 15, 2022
Spoilers ahead. I rate this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.
The writing is pretty easy to read and follow and I got into it right away. Ex-DCI Harlan Miller is suffering from PTSD from two events, the death of his child Tom and the killing of a man named Reed. We are never told of what these events were and if they were related, just that he's racked by guilt and almost can't even function. As the book begins, he is released from prison and given menial work to segue back into normal life, except that he can't unlive his memories. He even gave up his partner Eve.
He tries to make it up to Reed's family by giving them money but the wife Susan rejects it. Then everything changes when Susan's younger son Ethan is abducted. There appears to be a serial pedophile who has been abducting young boys and he promises Susan to find Ethan.
There isn't really a lot of detective work as Miller simply grabs the likeliest suspects and beats them into confession or in confessing whatever crimes they committed whether connected to the case or not. The reveal is also just a revelation instead of detective work.
I would have given this more stars except the ending was too long and there was much too much guilt drama overshadowing what could have been a better detective protocol book. I understand the guilt part, but we're here to read detecting.
I got this as a $0 kindle offer. I guess this is Amazon's strategy to have readers try them and if they like them, to buy more books from the author. I like this strategy a lot as it gives foreign or little known authors exposure. Most of the authors I have tried are British and their books are not available from the library or some of them are not well known. I have purchased a few books as they are not pricey, around $3 or so, the price of a paperback from the 1980's. Unfortunately most of the free books are not that good.
I kinda like this book but I don't like it enough to check out his other books. An author I would follow is if I finished the book and wanted more. This book was only ok, I have already given the reasons why.
The writing is pretty easy to read and follow and I got into it right away. Ex-DCI Harlan Miller is suffering from PTSD from two events, the death of his child Tom and the killing of a man named Reed. We are never told of what these events were and if they were related, just that he's racked by guilt and almost can't even function. As the book begins, he is released from prison and given menial work to segue back into normal life, except that he can't unlive his memories. He even gave up his partner Eve.
He tries to make it up to Reed's family by giving them money but the wife Susan rejects it. Then everything changes when Susan's younger son Ethan is abducted. There appears to be a serial pedophile who has been abducting young boys and he promises Susan to find Ethan.
There isn't really a lot of detective work as Miller simply grabs the likeliest suspects and beats them into confession or in confessing whatever crimes they committed whether connected to the case or not. The reveal is also just a revelation instead of detective work.
I would have given this more stars except the ending was too long and there was much too much guilt drama overshadowing what could have been a better detective protocol book. I understand the guilt part, but we're here to read detecting.
I got this as a $0 kindle offer. I guess this is Amazon's strategy to have readers try them and if they like them, to buy more books from the author. I like this strategy a lot as it gives foreign or little known authors exposure. Most of the authors I have tried are British and their books are not available from the library or some of them are not well known. I have purchased a few books as they are not pricey, around $3 or so, the price of a paperback from the 1980's. Unfortunately most of the free books are not that good.
I kinda like this book but I don't like it enough to check out his other books. An author I would follow is if I finished the book and wanted more. This book was only ok, I have already given the reasons why.
December 27, 2020
If any book has the capacity to make you depressed then I would say that this One definitely scores high on that list. When I picked up this book I was expecting a good old fashioned investigation thriller with Enough twists and turns to make it engaging but what I didn’t expect was the book to make me so depressed and completely drained of life altogether
The book starts with a very unfortunate mishap and I thought it might just be a bump on the road but it just keeps getting worse and worse that at a point I wanted to get inside this book and probably burn everything to the ground to put everyone out of their misery.
I would say that the best approach to this book is not to take it as a thriller but as a psychological or a human study sort of fiction. Perhaps then it will help you to cope better than I could with this one
Imagine you going to an action movie because you want some adrenaline and not high intense emotional roller coaster and the movie ends up having your action star bawling his eyes out making you too heavy hearted and deeply disturbed. Something of that was exactly what I got with this book
The book drags and wallows a lot and is heavily laced with emotional roller coasters .
Keep your box of wine ready before starting this book .
The book starts with a very unfortunate mishap and I thought it might just be a bump on the road but it just keeps getting worse and worse that at a point I wanted to get inside this book and probably burn everything to the ground to put everyone out of their misery.
I would say that the best approach to this book is not to take it as a thriller but as a psychological or a human study sort of fiction. Perhaps then it will help you to cope better than I could with this one
Imagine you going to an action movie because you want some adrenaline and not high intense emotional roller coaster and the movie ends up having your action star bawling his eyes out making you too heavy hearted and deeply disturbed. Something of that was exactly what I got with this book
The book drags and wallows a lot and is heavily laced with emotional roller coasters .
Keep your box of wine ready before starting this book .
September 20, 2022
Traumatic
A tale of trauma about a cop (Harlan) who couldn’t cope after his son died and he believed doctors were telling him he would not be able to father any more children.
He loses the plot and ends up thumping someone who in my mind deserved it but the victim died and Harlan ended up being jailed.
Upon release from prison he was tormented by what he did and was seeking some sort of forgiveness from the victims wife. Clearly that was not going to happen but he saw an opportunity when the victim’s son was kidnapped, as Harlan thought that solving the kidnapping would clear the slate.
Harlan and his wife split up when he was jailed as usually happens in these circumstances but there is simmering hope of getting back together except Harlan doesn’t think he deserves happiness after what he did and he also thinks it would not be good for his wife. But things twist and turn and his wife deserves better but is extremely tolerant on their journey to hopefully a happy outcome but the victim’s family and how he wronged them is always a mental block.
Things never go according to plan but a good story unfolds with twists and turns, some predictable but a good story nonetheless.
A tale of trauma about a cop (Harlan) who couldn’t cope after his son died and he believed doctors were telling him he would not be able to father any more children.
He loses the plot and ends up thumping someone who in my mind deserved it but the victim died and Harlan ended up being jailed.
Upon release from prison he was tormented by what he did and was seeking some sort of forgiveness from the victims wife. Clearly that was not going to happen but he saw an opportunity when the victim’s son was kidnapped, as Harlan thought that solving the kidnapping would clear the slate.
Harlan and his wife split up when he was jailed as usually happens in these circumstances but there is simmering hope of getting back together except Harlan doesn’t think he deserves happiness after what he did and he also thinks it would not be good for his wife. But things twist and turn and his wife deserves better but is extremely tolerant on their journey to hopefully a happy outcome but the victim’s family and how he wronged them is always a mental block.
Things never go according to plan but a good story unfolds with twists and turns, some predictable but a good story nonetheless.
August 26, 2023
This is a good crime thriller that follows Harlan Miler as he tries to get his life back on track and deal with the guilt of accidentally killing a man. In doing so he finds himself in the middle of a child abduction case which just so happens to be one of the children of the man he killed, a case that he shouldn't be involved in as he has been stripped of his job and career and has no legal justification for doing so, but do so he does. And so begins a complex story mixing guilt and plain old bad luck with greed, kidnapping, and sex offenders, with a bit of illegal investigations and lost love thrown in for good measure. On the whole the story was really well written with well thought out but believable twists and turns and decent character development. My only issues we with how desperate Miller was to make amends and what he was willing to do to get it (although I have no real issue with how the finale played out) and how the more romantic aspect of the story unfolded, the latter was slightly too neat for me.
September 29, 2017
I'm normally a big fan of British Detective mystery thrillers, but I just couldn't squeeze much enjoyment out of this one. For me, you have to engage with the main character, ex cop Harlan Miller, irrespective of whether you like him or not. Miller is deeply flawed from the death of his young son (no suspicious circumstances) and then the unpremeditated killing of a man he got into a fight with in a pub. I'm not unsympathetic, but he whines and whinges his way through the book, bemoaning his life and really doesn't care whether he lives or dies. I'm ok with that, but after the 20th or 30th 0r 100th time it's mentioned in the book, it becomes a bit tedious. It's a shame really because the plot is good (if you are ok with child kidnapping and paedophiles), the rest of the characters are fine and the ending is quite thrilling. My wife has read the next book in the series and tells me it's much better. I sincerely hope so and that he has 'manned up' a bit.
July 18, 2020
Blood Guilt (Steel city#1)
by Ben Cheetham
3and 1/2 stars good book but not amazing
Kidnap, Murder and Accidental death
Harlan ends up killing someone who comes after him after an augment in a pub, and ends up spending time in jail. The one surprising piece of information is Harlan is a policeman.
Ethan is kidnapped youngest son of Susan and brother to Kane. Susan is a widow because Harlan killed her husband but Harlan is the one person who Susan knows can find Ethen if anyone can.
Of course not many people are happy about Harlan being involved in the search for Ethan but Susan knows he will do all he can to atone for the killing of her husband and he will.
Fast moving clean writing and a story that runs easily to follow. As Born and Bread in Sheffield I could see the places the action takes place in which is a first for me and added to the feel of the book.
by Ben Cheetham
3and 1/2 stars good book but not amazing
Kidnap, Murder and Accidental death
Harlan ends up killing someone who comes after him after an augment in a pub, and ends up spending time in jail. The one surprising piece of information is Harlan is a policeman.
Ethan is kidnapped youngest son of Susan and brother to Kane. Susan is a widow because Harlan killed her husband but Harlan is the one person who Susan knows can find Ethen if anyone can.
Of course not many people are happy about Harlan being involved in the search for Ethan but Susan knows he will do all he can to atone for the killing of her husband and he will.
Fast moving clean writing and a story that runs easily to follow. As Born and Bread in Sheffield I could see the places the action takes place in which is a first for me and added to the feel of the book.
October 19, 2021
I was attracted to this crime novel because of the Sheffield setting... and disappointed by it because of the lack of a Sheffield setting. Scattering the odd district name doth not a sense of place create (although there are some lines about how someone who has served as a police officer comes to view landscapes that I thought were excellent).
We're spared cringe-making descriptions of sex but there are too many tired tropes, and one unnecessarily gruesome feature. Using Harlan for the name of the central Sheffield native character never ceased to grate on me, and I felt an editor should have been interrogating the author to iron out some of the inconsistencies.
I almost didn't bother finishing, but this is not a *bad* book and I thought the premise of the tsunami of effects from throwing a macho under the influence punch was a good one.
We're spared cringe-making descriptions of sex but there are too many tired tropes, and one unnecessarily gruesome feature. Using Harlan for the name of the central Sheffield native character never ceased to grate on me, and I felt an editor should have been interrogating the author to iron out some of the inconsistencies.
I almost didn't bother finishing, but this is not a *bad* book and I thought the premise of the tsunami of effects from throwing a macho under the influence punch was a good one.
August 19, 2025
Blood Guilt
Harlan and Eve lose their child after an accident. Grief takes over Harlan’s life breaking his marriage and impacting on his job as a detective. One drunken night he is pursued by a man he had argued with earlier. Instead of walking away he manages to land a punch resulting in death and prison.
When he gets out Harlan is a man who hates himself for taking a life but when a child is abducted he must move past that and use all his previous detective skills to bring the child home.
The author portrays a man filled with grief and remorse. A man trying to hold on to his moral compass and humanity whilst dealing with the worst criminals.
The characters in this story have such depth that this book will be read in one sitting. You will also temember it long after reading it.
Harlan and Eve lose their child after an accident. Grief takes over Harlan’s life breaking his marriage and impacting on his job as a detective. One drunken night he is pursued by a man he had argued with earlier. Instead of walking away he manages to land a punch resulting in death and prison.
When he gets out Harlan is a man who hates himself for taking a life but when a child is abducted he must move past that and use all his previous detective skills to bring the child home.
The author portrays a man filled with grief and remorse. A man trying to hold on to his moral compass and humanity whilst dealing with the worst criminals.
The characters in this story have such depth that this book will be read in one sitting. You will also temember it long after reading it.
March 22, 2018
A reasonable plot and fast moving at times, but also very repetitive at times. At times I was annoyed by the main character, who incidentally must be made of steel because he recovers very quickly and extremely well mentally and is able to be on top of the plot throughout the book.
He experiences deep depression and has the support of his ex-wife but renounces it, accepts it, then shows interest in another.
It became very complicated in parts and required intense listening (an audio b00k used) and some going back. It did not help that the reader used weird whispering voices when a woman was speaking.
He experiences deep depression and has the support of his ex-wife but renounces it, accepts it, then shows interest in another.
It became very complicated in parts and required intense listening (an audio b00k used) and some going back. It did not help that the reader used weird whispering voices when a woman was speaking.
August 17, 2023
Riviting
What I liked best about Blood Guilt is that Harlan never stops in his quest to find the missing boy and return him to his family. But he takes the time to use basic detective skills, observation of suspects, identifying his most likely ones, and following them patiently. In his Police life, there was never time for all of this, but after his Police life there is time. Harlan takes that time, and finds the answers.
I wanted this book because of the story description on Amazon.com. I recommend this story to all readers who love a great investigative story with a highly honorable protagonist.
What I liked best about Blood Guilt is that Harlan never stops in his quest to find the missing boy and return him to his family. But he takes the time to use basic detective skills, observation of suspects, identifying his most likely ones, and following them patiently. In his Police life, there was never time for all of this, but after his Police life there is time. Harlan takes that time, and finds the answers.
I wanted this book because of the story description on Amazon.com. I recommend this story to all readers who love a great investigative story with a highly honorable protagonist.
June 28, 2018
Blood Guilt is a great thriller. A desperate detective; an even more desperate mother!
Detective Harlan Miller inadvertently kills a man in a drunken brawl. When he's released from prison, a woman contacts him asking to find her eight year old missing child Ethan.
Harlan is surprised as the desperate woman is the wife of man Harlan killed in the brawl. The story has twists and turns along the way as Harlan not only tries to find Ethan, but has to face personal difficulties of his own.
Detective Harlan Miller inadvertently kills a man in a drunken brawl. When he's released from prison, a woman contacts him asking to find her eight year old missing child Ethan.
Harlan is surprised as the desperate woman is the wife of man Harlan killed in the brawl. The story has twists and turns along the way as Harlan not only tries to find Ethan, but has to face personal difficulties of his own.
July 11, 2019
What a variety
Where does Ben's ideas come from? I love his wife range of story lines. This book was creative as usual. A little more difficult to stay interested a few short-term moments but I am not sure if it was the story of extraneous factors that had absolutely nothing to do with the story telling. But a few times it seemed wordy but other than that it was a page turner. You wanted to know I was going to happen next. I would recommend all of Ben's books!
Where does Ben's ideas come from? I love his wife range of story lines. This book was creative as usual. A little more difficult to stay interested a few short-term moments but I am not sure if it was the story of extraneous factors that had absolutely nothing to do with the story telling. But a few times it seemed wordy but other than that it was a page turner. You wanted to know I was going to happen next. I would recommend all of Ben's books!
March 8, 2020
I received this book in an author's promotion in exchange of an honest review. Ben Cheetham has a unique way of telling you a story. Immediately grabs you by the throat and drags you into the minds of his characters. Always well developed, fast paced, and twisty/twisted. Keeps you guessing to the end, then throws another cure ball at you. Read at your own risk, he'll make you question your own mind.
March 20, 2020
I loved Ben Cheethams last novel so I thought I’d go back to the beginning!
The story was exciting , great characters that I’d like to see more of, plenty of twists- but something was lacking & frustrating me.
It’s great to see great writers develop and
I would definitely want to read more from this author; this novel felt like, an artist in the early stages of his craft, with much more to come.
The story was exciting , great characters that I’d like to see more of, plenty of twists- but something was lacking & frustrating me.
It’s great to see great writers develop and
I would definitely want to read more from this author; this novel felt like, an artist in the early stages of his craft, with much more to come.
May 15, 2024
Detective Harlan Millers life just cannot get any worse, his son dies in a freak accident, his life spirals out of control, his wife leaves him and after a drink fuelled altercation a man lies dead and Miller faces a manslaughter charge. Having served his time, he becomes obsessed with making amends, then the son of the man he killed is abducted and Miller makes the decision to find the boy. A journey that will lead him to places far worse than anything he saw whilst he was a police officer.
June 3, 2018
This is almost a gritty anti-hero story, delves into the morals of men and what people will do for redemption. Really enjoyed the lead character in this, he became a really complex soul and the book actually was very brooding and dark at times. Really enjoyed this read and actually would love to see another story about this character.
February 3, 2019
Great book!
This is the second book I have read by Ben Cheetham, both were great but I have to say Don't look back is my favorite so far! I do plan to read all his books, he is a great author! Interesting from beginning to end! Ben you are on the fast track to becoming my favorite author! Keep up the great work and happy writing!!
This is the second book I have read by Ben Cheetham, both were great but I have to say Don't look back is my favorite so far! I do plan to read all his books, he is a great author! Interesting from beginning to end! Ben you are on the fast track to becoming my favorite author! Keep up the great work and happy writing!!
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January 18, 2020What a rollercoaster!
Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Ben Cheetham ripped the rug out from under my feet - a few times!
Now that I've read a couple books by this author, I know that if I see Ben Cheetham's name on the cover I'll never hesitate to pick up the book.
I have THE LOST box set here ready to go!
Just when I thought I had it all figured out, Ben Cheetham ripped the rug out from under my feet - a few times!
Now that I've read a couple books by this author, I know that if I see Ben Cheetham's name on the cover I'll never hesitate to pick up the book.
I have THE LOST box set here ready to go!
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